//------------------------------// // This is a cartoon, blunt trauma just knocks people out for a while. // Story: Principal Celestia Hunts the Undead // by Rune Soldier Dan //------------------------------// A flying kick brought Cheerilee’s heel into the jaw of an infected student. Fancy Pants, if memory served. Hopefully he’d forget about it later. The girl he tackled started to rise, and Cheerilee backed off quickly. “Stop. Did he bite you?” Fluttershy patted at herself, then shook her head. “No.” “Great. Get to the gym, you’ll be safe there.” “…Hopefully,” Cheerilee added after the girl fled the hall. The more she thought about it, the more she doubted it was a good idea. The gym was on one side of a very long school, and with infected preppies coming in from all over, the students on the far end were absolutely screwed. The dumber ones had already run head-first into the mob and been promptly bitten. The others were fleeing, hiding, and dodging their way from one disaster to the next. Moving to the higher floors or basement, with Crystal Prep invariably on their heels. A bad plan, but what could Cheerilee do? She wasn’t Celestia. None of them were. And now the hunters were scattered with a vampire in their midst… She could feel one of her panic attacks coming on. Like a hand squeezing her heart, causing her breath to come in shallow gasps. It was a useless fear, and Cheerilee knew what to do. Shaking fingers worked their way into a rip in her plain white blouse. One hand gripped and the other pulled, ripping her garment down the side. A relieved breath shot out, like it was the blouse itself that had squeezed. Cheerilee smiled as she worked the tear all the way around, exposing her midriff and most of her ribs. …There we go. Infected students? Big problem for a boring teacher. Stalking vampire? Obviously, the love-struck ditz would be the first hunter down. But Cheerilee was neither of those. She was the action-trope hottie who would save the world and look good doing it. Like the heroes of those over-muscled animes she definitely didn’t watch, Cheerlee got stronger the more her wardrobe vanished. She found more trouble down the hall – Applejack and Pinkie Pie had managed to block off the stairway, but the doors couldn’t lock, and weight of numbers were slowly forcing them open. The doors slammed shut as Cheerilee rocketed into them. Fists punched in their windows, but she only grinned savagely as the hands grabbed for her. “Run!” she called, and the students needed no second bidding. A male voice sailed out from beyond the door. “Come back, my sweet Applejack! Let me kiss you, and we shall be zombie lovers forever!” Applejack neither came nor looked back. “Trenderhoof, fer the last time, it ain’t meant ta be!” A blue-grey face entered the window opposite Cheerilee. Despite the shrimpy frame beneath pushing as hard as it could, the girl still lowered her head to peer condescendingly over her glasses. “All that exposed skin just makes it easier for us to bite you.” “Can it, Sugarcoat,” Cheerilee snapped. Her shoes caught a groove in the floor and she braced from it, setting her shoulder against the bucking door. Gasping, Rainbow ducked through the door and Rarity slammed it shut behind. The fashionista’s legs wobbled above her impractical high-heeled shoes. She gave Rainbow a despairing look as she sank to the ground. “No good. These are fire doors, darling, we can’t lock them. Ooh, we should have jumped out a window while we had the chance.” “Third floor. Broken ankle.” Rainbow’s voice was a shrug. She fidgeted with the metal rods that crisscrossed the doors, smiling as one slid in her grasp. “These ones can lock, actually. I did it for a prank last April.” Rarity stood, casting a glance to the empty hall behind them. “I thought that wasn’t allowed?” Rainbow smirked as the rod clicked into a new place. “Technically, but these babies are old as the school. I overheard Miss Luna complaining about it a while back. The feds said to replace the doors, the school district wouldn’t shell out the cash, so it’s her and Miss Celestia who got blamed. Ain’t that ass-backwards?” A scream from the other side interrupted Rarity’s response. They looked at each other, and Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. She twisted and slid the rod back to its former place. “Dash, no.” “Dash, yes.” Rainbow cracked her knuckles. “You saw what I did? If I don’t come back, lock it and run.” She shouldered through the door, giving Rarity no time to talk her out of it. The scene beyond was a chaos of lost text books and spilled papers, with several wrestling figures among the debris. Rainbow took it in at a glance. Two Canterlot students, desperately trying to fend off infected preppies. Adagio Dazzle, who took advantage of Applejack’s feelings, and Twilight Sparkle, who nearly destroyed them all at the Friendship Games. “Twilight!” Rainbow tore straight for her friend. A few preppies were in position to interfere, but fortunately Adagio was there to distract them. Rainbow’s flying kick knocked off Twilight’s assailant just as it got a good grip on her arm. Best of all, it was Lightning Dust – hopefully she would remember this later. “C’mon!” Twilight obeyed at once, scrambling to her feet and following at a run. They skirted Adagio’s melee and plowed back through the fire doors. Rarity slammed the doors as they came through, though spared a curious glance. “I thought I heard Adagio.” “Had to choose,” Rainbow shrugged. “It was–” A fresh scream interrupted, followed by a voice through the door. “Adagio, save me!” “Save yourself, taco freak!” Rarity laid a hand on Rainbow’s shoulder, face serious. “You got lucky once. We need to–” Rainbow slipped from her grasp and ran back into the contested hall. Adagio now faced off against three kids in Crystal Prep uniforms, but had snatched up a baseball bat and now held them at bay. Further down the hall, Sonata crawled from a mob creeping up on her. Too many to fight. At least, without an edge. Rainbow’s eyes narrowed, and she took off. Honed from ten years of soccer training, her legs devoured the distance to the prone siren. And at just the right instant, one hand reached out and snatched Adagio’s bat on the way by. “Stay back!” Rainbow swung the bat furiously, stalemating the mob. Infected they might be, but some retained self-preservation caused them to stop. “I have a bat!” Sonata held up a leather-covered hand. “And I have a mitt!” “Get up, Sonata!” “Can’t.” Sonata pointed at a raspberry bulge on her leg. “Ankle’s all twisty.” “God damn it!” Rainbow tossed her bat into the horde, getting one final flinch to work with. She scooped up Sonata and ran, carrying the cheering girl back down the hall. “Hi Adagio!” Sonata called out as they passed the yellow siren, now cornered by her assailants. “Bye, Adagio!” “RAINBOW DASH, IF I GET BIT I SWEAR TO DISCORD THAT I’LL HUNT YOU DOWN!” “SORRY! CAN’T HEAR YOU OVER THE KARMA!” Rainbow passed through the fire door and dropped Sonata with a grunt. “Right, right, ‘got lucky once.’ Let’s beat it.” “What about Adagio?” Rarity asked. Sonata pointed down the hall. “Screw her, let’s go!” “I HEARD THAT!” The blue siren stuck out her tongue to the closed door. “Well you stole my cookie, so bleaugh!” Twilight squinted to others. She waved her fingers before her eyes and sighed. “You guys go ahead. My glasses are back in there and I can’t see a thing.” “You heard the lady, let’s go!” Sonata cheered. But Rainbow was already moving. Once more through the fire door and past Adagio, who was doing surprisingly well for herself. Of the three original assailants, one was laid out cold and another clutched his groin and quivered on the ground. The last had tackled her, and now used weight and gravity to slowly push down her warding arms. In other words, he was neatly out of the way. With the mob approaching at a disorganized stumble, Rainbow was able to reach where Twilight fell at a light jog. Ignoring the unconscious Lightning Dust, she picked up the fallen glasses and turned back to the door. Rarity had stepped out behind her this time, and slugged Adagio’s assailant with her inordinately-heavy purse. The pair of them fell in with Rainbow on her way back. They locked the door on the other side, this time for good. Rainbow held out the plastic frames to Twilight with a grin. “Here you go, Velma.” Her purple friend scowled, but responded with, “Jinkies.” While Twilight retrieved her glasses, Adagio gave Rarity a white-toothed smile. “Thanks! I mean it. Really, high time we put the past behind us.” Rarity beamed. “Well darling, it’s like I always say…” “Now then.” Adagio shoved Rarity to the side and leapt on Dash with a roar. The pair fell to the ground, trading punches and insults while Sonata cheered at them to “Fight! Fight! Fight!” All five of them froze as the door buckled inward with a solid whump. The small metal rod locking it rattled ominously… then popped off with the second slam. “Run!” Rainbow screamed. She yanked Adagio to her feet and they fled as the door burst behind them. It all happened so damn fast. The meeting broke. Redheart ran to her office and began loading up. Grenades. Knives. A handgun. More grenades. And the phosphorus bomb – that thing Celestia said she wasn’t allowed to use. It crossed the line from ‘effective’ to ‘insane.’ Not just phosphorus, but a cocktail of fluids that roasted without fire. A drop on the arm would lose you the arm. Redheart slipped the ceramic jar in her lab coat’s pocket. Dangerous. Easily ruptured. That was the damn point. Three hundred student lives were at stake, and the hunters had no plan or heavy gear. It was time to improvise. No time to even collect her thoughts when the door slammed in. Redheart turned with knife in hand to see two of Canterlot’s own, with a groaning third on Flash Sentry’s back. “Miss Redheart!” Trixie screamed, dashing into the room so fast she tripped on her cape. “Quick!” Flash set his burden down on the bed in a sitting position. Redheart leaned over the sweating, groaning Cranky Doodle and shrugged. No sign of wound or injury… Oh, except for the leg. It definitely wasn’t supposed to bend that way. “You’ve got a broken leg,” she said. Cranky let out a gravelly sigh. “Thank you, Doctor Obvious.” “I’m not a doctor, I’m a nurse. We need this thing splinted. It’s going to hurt a lot.” “How much time?” Cranky grumbled. “Cinch looked pretty peeved with me.” A low whistle slid through Redheart’s lips as she opened the gauze cabinet. “Bitch Queen herself? How far?” “Third floor, unless she followed us. Kinda held her off while these two slid down the elevator ropes, then jumped down myself. Bad news, silver bullets don’t do much.” Redheart shrugged again. “Eh, they never work on the old vampires. S’cool, though. I got an ace.” “How can you all be so calm!” Trixie shrieked. “Cinch is a vampire. A vampire! How can vampires be real?” Flash scratched at his ear, chuckling weakly. “I thought you were a vampire expert?” “And you’ve been stalking us for six months.” Redheart tossed a gauze roll to Cranky, who caught it without looking. She strode to the door and peeked out, then slammed it shut immediately. “Yeah, she followed you.” “Trixie thought you were LARPing!” Trixie flailed her arms in the air. She coughed abruptly and spat out her fake fangs on the ground. “I don’t know what that means.” Redheart pointed to her, then Cranky. “You guys: out the window, then get to the gym. Bind his leg there. Cranky, this will hurt like shit.” “Feh.” Game as ever, the old teacher only scowled. “No worse than what Hitler’s boys did to me.” Flash looked askance at that, and began counting on his fingers while Trixie asked, “What about you?” “Gonna hunt vampires, Trix.” Redheart smiled and patted her arm. “Or buy you time, depending how things go. Now get moving.” While her left hand gripped the doorknob, Redheart’s right fingered the phosphorus bomb. It felt hot, though that was her nerves talking. She’d never even used one before. No guarantee it would work. Out the door, before she could think about how stupid it was. But it wasn’t – not really. Best case scenario, Cinch got a face full of scalding hot justice. Worst case, at least she’ll be off the kids’ trail. And if Redheart got disemboweled she wouldn’t have to be a nurse anymore, so there was that too. Important to be optimistic in this job. She walked out slowly, hands in her pockets. Didn’t want to startle Cinch. Wanted her to gloat. Vampires loved gloating. She turned, and saw the vampire. And the mass of students around her. And a young Crystal Prep girl held aloft by Cinch’s left arm. …Well. Redheart took her hand from the bomb. At least the others got away. Didn’t stop her from being mad. “A human shield? God, you’re a bitch.” “You got that right,” Sugarcoat grumbled from Cinch’s arm. “Good students remain quiet,” Cinch hissed, then looked to Redheart. “As for you, Miss Mad Bomber…” “Hey, I’m not mad. I enjoy my bombing very much.” “So noted.” Cinch rolled her eyes. “Now. Time to fall into line.” Redheart spun on a heel. Stupid, even under the best of circumstances. No way she could outrun a vampire, not even without the infected preppies coming in from behind. She tried. Not brawny like Iron Will, or dexterous like Luna. No knives, no guns or bombs. No fair. She pushed one of the students to the side, but three more wrestled her to the ground. She felt a frozen hand clutch her head. Felt it tilt her upwards to see Cinch’s smile, then felt the bite on her arm. “Whooves, what the hell!?” Professor Whooves took the stairs two at a time, phone to his ear. “Can we talk later?” “No!” Miss Harshwhinny snarled from the other end. “You’re supposed to be fortifying the gym. Mister Will can't hold them off forever.” Whooves glanced through the stairwell door, smiling at the empty corridor beyond. “I don’t know about that. I saw a student bite him hard as she could and it didn’t break the skin.” “Fine, that’s one entrance covered. What about the other?” Whooves’ smile vanished. “Oh dear.” Harshwhinny gave her trademarked growl-sigh. “Where are you even going?” “My classroom.” Whooves tiptoed to a bend in the hall, peered ahead, and went on. “I forgot something.” Another harsh sigh came from the other end. “I feel I might regret this, but: what?” Whooves beamed as he shifted the phone to his shoulder, using both hands to fiddle through his keys. “A cure for the brain worms. After the event two years ago with them I studied what was left, and found they’re deathly allergic to certain spices and chemicals that are harmless to humans. I made a gas-bomb with that in mind, capable of destroying all brain worms in a one-block area while leaving their hosts untouched. Well, save for some copious secretions from–” “Whooves.” He paused, key in hand. “Yes?” “Why are you only thinking of this now?” Harshwhinny asked. “I forgot.” Surprisingly, the revelation seemed to make her less angry. The next words were a resigned growl. “Whooves, I am going to kill you.” “After I save the day, you mean?” Whooves quipped. Grinning cheekily, he unlocked his door and pulled it open to find thirty Crystal Prep students within. “OH, COME ON!” he roared, directly into the phone. “What were you guys doing? Waiting for a bus!?” It was as much as he got out before the mob flooded over him. Without any adults in the gym, the refugee students had no choice but to take their own measures. An impromptu command center formed in the basketball court, staffed by the Rainbooms. The other students had unanimously volunteered them to, quote Flash Sentry, “Do that ‘save-the-day’ thing again.” “We need all of us to use our pony magic,” Fluttershy told him, fidgeting with her nails. “Sunset included.” “Huh.” With no backup plan in mind, Flash shrugged. “Boner.” “Yep.” The other Rainbooms were stepping up, at least, and the students followed their lead. Applejack leaned over from the bleachers, hammering boards across the windows with Gilda and Coco Pommel. Twilight examined the parking lot entrance, while Rarity piled junk behind the school doors. Rainbow had enlisted Spitfire and Aria Blaze to case the sports rooms for any weapons they could find. Pinkie Pie screamed and ran in circles with the also-screaming Sonata, but four out of six Rainbooms wasn’t bad. “What about you?” Flash asked. Fluttershy twirled a finger through her hair and looked down. “‘What about me,’ what?” “Aren’t you, like, a superhero?” “No, I just hang out with them.” “Hey Flash!” Trixie screamed across the floor as she wheeled an amplifier to the stage. “Give Trixie a hand with her stuff!” Flash turned to her. “Trix, what are you doing?” “We are under attack by vampires,” Trixie huffed. “Trixie knows at least three werewolf songs. It might frighten them off.” “O...kay.” Flash shrugged and followed, grumbling under his breath. “Six months. Six beautiful months of nothing insane happening, down the drain.” Fluttershy waved, though his back was already turned. Breathing a sigh, she wandered over to the windows. Maybe Applejack needed help with something that didn't require any strength or dexterity. The farm girl and her crew were disentangling themselves from the support bars behind the bleachers as Fluttershy approached. She smiled at Fluttershy’s offer, but shook her head. “Nah, sugar; actually I was gonna see if the others need anything. The windows are secure as they’re gonna get with what we’ve got to work with. Guess we could start makin’ window-bars out of the bleachers, but they won't do much good unless I can find more nails.” “You can forget about those,” Rainbow called as she jogged up to join them. “Aria, Spits and I went through every locker, drawer, and closet in this place, and no nails. Far as weapons go we've got twenty bats and hockey sticks, thirty golf clubs, and plenty of balls. Plus, um, three chainsaws. And two bottles of whiskey we found in the back with Miss Redheart’s name on them.” Gilda held up her purse. “Ooh, give ‘em here. I got rags and a lighter.” “Whoa, hey.” Applejack tried to wave them off, but Aria cheerfully handed Gilda the whiskey. “We’re fightin’ our fellow students, here. We ain’t killin’ nobody just because their parents were mean enough to send ‘em to Crystal Prep.” “Yadda, yadda.” Gilda was already sprinkling whiskey on one of the rags. “Chill your tits, cowgirl. It’s for the vampire. The only one allowed to bite my neck is Thunderlane.” Rainbow made a disgusted noise, drawing a laugh from Gilda. “Tee-em-eye. Anyway, peeps, let’s talk the problem areas. If we get overrun, it’ll be either from the parking lot or school entrance. Mister Will’s holding the parking one, but even he can’t keep it up forever.” A voice boomed from that direction, carrying across the court. “You kids keep biting, BUT IRON WILL KEEPS FIGHTING!” “...Probably.” Rainbow acknowledged the ambiguity with a shrug. “Let's check on the school entrance first.” A brief walk showed it was good as could be expected. The doors to the rest of the school opened towards the gym, making blocking them off a simple matter. They couldn’t lock, but a pile of trashcans, chairs, and sports equipment did the job. One door was left open as an escape route, guarded by several bat-armed students in football helmets. “All quiet?” Rainbow asked. One of the helmeted students raised a white hand in a thumbs-up motion. “Great, thanks Vinyl. Let's see how Mr. Will is doing.” Outside the exterior gym door, Iron will sat hard on the stairs. Sweat soaked his white polo shirt around the armpits and neck, and his breath came in heavy gasps. Pink marks dotted his arms where students had bitten, though none broke through, or even really hurt. Except for that last one, but it wasn’t a bite. A dodgy, athletic girl named Indigo Zap had slid beneath his guard to kick him square in the legs. Hurt like the dickens, but she got the worst of it. Iron Will’s crotch, like the rest of his body, was rock-hard from constant exercise. The girl now lay off to the side, moaning and clutching her sprained foot. Two students guarded Iron Will’s flanks, gird with what tools the sports locker could give: Bulk Biceps, in hockey goalie’s armor, and Adagio Dazzle, who apparently had some aggression to work out. They stood by him, watching stoically as the school doors opened and a shambling horde flooded the parking lot. Most wore the purple sweaters of Crystal Prep, though a sizable minority were dressed casually. Infected Canterlot High students. “Sunset, Sunset...” Adagio gripped her hockey stick, looking eagerly into the crowd before groaning. “Come on! My one chance for teacher-approved payback and I don’t see her anywhere.” Iron Will was silent, watching the lone, tall form of Principal Cinch approach through the crowd. “Hey – bring it in.” Iron Will set a huge hand on each of his allies’ shoulders. “Get inside and block the door. I’ll buy you time. If the bad guys break through, summon your manly strength and fight to win.” Adagio raised her hand. “I’m not a man.” “That’s where you’re wrong,” Iron Will said lowly, with the wisdom of ages. Passed from his mentor to him, and now to these two students. The siren bristled. “I think I’d know if I–” Iron Will hugged the pair, pressing their faces to his sweaty pits. “Manliness isn’t a boy-girl thing. It is a spirit – an energy that flows through us all. Race, culture, age, gender – it matters not. Anyone can be a man when the time comes to stand for what is right. And no matter the odds, a true man can carry the day to victory. Remember that and go.” He released them from the moist embrace. Tears were in Bulk Biceps’ eyes. He sniffed loudly, saluted, and turned to the gym. Adagio followed – also in tears, and with green, puffed-out cheeks that deposited their contents in the bushes before she made it to the door. Iron Will closed his eyes, and took a deep breath in. Behind him, a cold voice spoke. “You’ve saved nothing.” He turned. Cinch loomed before him: a tall, dark-coated figure before a sea of burgundy vests. Poised as ever, and despite the words, seemingly gripped with her habitual anger. “I suppose I should thank you. Bringing all the students into one place saves the trouble of hunting them down.” Weirdly, she toyed with a glass chalice as she spoke. Iron Will exhaled slowly, and raised his meaty fists. He laughed, as a memory sprang. “You know, a few months back a hag who lives in the Everfree told Iron Will his future. She said Iron Will would meet his end in truly worthy battle, against a truly worthy foe. All else before then would be mere practice for that day.” Cinch arched an eyebrow, frowning expectantly. “So that’s why…” Iron Will let the last word fade, drawing out the wait before he smiled. “Iron Will knows he will not fall to you. Iron Will shall fall to a worthy foe, and lady, you ain’t it. I mean, really: the Friendship Games?” Cinch’s expression of controlled annoyance leapt to one of unbridled wrath. She inhaled, trembling violently as Iron Will went on. “You shall not defeat me, for Iron Will’s massive pecs and manly strength can see him through even the–” “WHAT IS A MAN!?” Cinch snarled. She cast the chalice to the pavement and it shattered. “A miserable little pile of secrets!” Cinch grabbed at her dress and ripped – everyone in the crowd recoiled in horror, but a second glance showed it had merely changed. The deep blue fabric morphed into a high-collar cape, with a white shirt and burgundy pants beneath. “But enough talk,” she sneered, then charged. “Have at you!” From inside, the varied students of Canterlot High watched the battle through windows and door frames. Initial shouts of encouragement turned to stunned silence, and sympathetic wincing. After several painful seconds, Fluttershy stepped back from the door and covered her eyes. The others watched in rapt horror, except for Sonata, who grinned weirdly, and Pinkie, who found a bubble blower and was playing with it. “Wow,” Rainbow managed. “She is really kicking his ass.” Adagio slapped her on the back of the head. “Worry about us, dumbass! That crowd is getting close and all we’ve got are unlocked, outwards-swinging doors.” Aria followed her lead, pointing an accusatory finger at Twilight. “Twilight-Two! You were in charge of securing this place, and you blew it! I thought you were smart.” Twilight Sparkle pushed up her glasses, face in a glower. “First, don’t call me that. Second, being smart doesn’t give me the power to summon construction material with my brain.” “They are charging,” Rarity said, backing off from the doors. Spitfire leaned forward, watching. “Use the bleachers, maybe?” “No way we’ll get them through the entryway,” Applejack said. “We gotta skedaddle. Get out the other entrance into the school.” Adagio slapped a fist into her palm. “Through that one unblocked door? Like three of us will make it before they hit our rear. We have to fight. Summon our manly strength and rise to the challenge.” “I don’t know you,” Aria sneered, then gestured outside. “That worked so well for the gorilla, right? I say we tell everyone else we’re fighting and book while they keep Crystal Prep busy.” “We can’t do–Hey!” Flash snapped as one of the doors began pulling open. He snatched it and yanked it closed, putting one foot on the door frame for power. “Guys, help!” The others obliged, frantically pulling the doors shut against the wrestling mob. Except the sirens, who took off running. “Later, dorks!” Aria called. “C’mon, pull!” Rainbow called, straining to keep her door shut. It opened a fraction, revealing a glowering blue-grey face. “You know there’s like a million of us,” Sugarcoat noted. “Can it, Sugarcoat!” Rainbow roared. Pink hands joined hers on the door latch, and together they heaved it shut. “Any ideas, Pinkie?” “Ever wonder why the word ‘laughter’ has a ‘G?’ It’s not pronounced ‘lagter.’” “Cool, thanks,” Rainbow grunted. “Anyone else?” “Get the bats!” Gilda shouted, straining against her own door. “We’ll have to fight them here!” “Too many for that,” Applejack grunted. With both feet braced high on the door frames and both fists locked around the handle, she was the only one holding a door on her own. “TRIXIE’S TOO YOUNG TO DIE!” Rarity panted, both from fear and exertion. “We can’t keep this up. We need something big to block the doors.” “Big?” Fluttershy asked, peeking out over her hands. “And heavy!” Rarity called desperately. A slip of her heels caused her door to open slightly, and she locked surprised stares with the preppie pulling on the other side. “…Blueblood?” “Rarity?” He looked just as surprised, and followed it with an arrogant sniff. “How’s being a gold-digging floozy working out for you?” A serious, reproving look came to Rarity’s face. “Never mind that, what happened to your vest? It’s all dirty.” “Where?!” Blueblood patted himself in a panic, releasing his grip. Rarity allowed herself a quiet smirk as the door slammed shut, that faded when a yellow hand touched her shoulder. “Um… Rarity?” Rarity tried a smile, that fell to a grunt as the door again bucked in her grasp. “Fluttershy, darling, why don’t you… leave. Very quickly. We’ll, ah, be along shortly.” “As zombies,” Flash grumbled. “No,” Fluttershy said with perfect calm. She stood before the doors, arms limp at her sides. “It’s you all who should get back. On my mark, move.” Despite their straining effort, somehow all the others’ eyes found hers. They were blue – it seemed a more vivid blue than before, marked with the miracle of absolute certainty. Yet even then, they glassed with unspent tears as she whispered, “And please, please don’t think I’m a monster.” She blinked. The tears were gone, leaving only infinite determination as she said, “Mark.”